by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 25 schools for Women’s Soccer (Division III) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Our analysis found Washington University in St Louis to be the best college for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States in the The Plains States Region. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in St. Louis, MO. The program generates about $16,174 in revenue per athlete, against $13,533 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,352, with expenses of about $8,515 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carleton College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,423 per participant, with expenses of about $4,444 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,476 per participant, with expenses of about $6,476 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grinnell, IA. Team revenue averages $4,839 per participant, against $4,839 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Luther College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,627, against $5,623 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Olaf College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,421 per participant, compared with $4,374 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Cornell College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Vernon, IA. Team revenue averages $5,714 per participant, against $5,135 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loras College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $5,921 per participant, against $5,921 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wartburg College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waverly, IA. Team revenue averages $6,026 per participant, against $6,026 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nebraska Wesleyan University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lincoln, NE. Team revenue averages $4,969 per participant, against $4,603 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Simpson College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Indianola, IA, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,476, compared with $5,178 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Martin Luther College landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $2,482 per participant, against $2,482 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota did well this year, earning the #14 position. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school based in Winona, MN. Team revenue averages $4,142 per participant, against $4,142 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Webster University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. The program generates about $6,421 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,710 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Catherine University did well this year, earning the #16 position. St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,241, against $5,241 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Morris ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Morris, MN, University of Minnesota-Morris is a public institution. The program generates about $5,093 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,275 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,919, against $2,919 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dubuque ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $9,659 per participant, compared with $8,513 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Augsburg University landed the #20 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,964, against $4,964 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. North Central University is a private not-for-profit school based in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $3,863 per participant, with expenses of about $3,863 per participant. Athletic aid averages $49 per athlete.
Coe College landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedar Rapids, IA. The program generates about $4,435 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,435 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University landed the #23 spot this year. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Hamline University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,132, compared with $4,132 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Buena Vista University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Storm Lake, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,379, compared with $4,379 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #25 spot this year. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mankato, MN. The program generates about $4,088 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,136 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.